Recent Films I liked

Some Films that I have seen recently that I liked

Up In The Air

In The Loop

Frost/Nixon

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Films from Big 12 States- South Edition

Continuing the Big 12 Football Theme,,, each school will be listed next to the Top 5 in order to explain the placement of the film. The films are still listed in descending order according to quality.


5. Oklahoma-Oklahoma State: The Outsiders



The Outsiders was filmed in Tulsa, not a terribly long drive from Stillwater. This film was directed by Francis Ford Coppolla and one of the first for the Brat Pack. Coppolla is said to have enacted a great sociological experiment with this film as the actors who portrayed the Socs were given tremendous accomodations and first rate treatment, while those who portrayed the Outsiders were treated contemptuously by the hotel staff and given poor equipment. Coppolla attempted to create a real rivalry between the two groups with the experiment, which worked tremendously.

4. Oklahoma-Oklahoma: The Grapes of Wrath



The ghost of Tom Joad lives on from this adaptation of the Steinbeck novel. While accompanied by the same criticisms as the novel (communist sympathies), Tom Ford and Henry Fonda recreate the Oklahoma dust-bowl during one of the toughest times for our nation.

3. Texas-Texas A&M: Dazed and Confused



It was surprising to me that Texas had so many non-western style films in the list of best films from this state. That is primarily because two of the modern great directors hail from the state and love to return to it to make amazing films. Richard Linklater is actually from the Houston area, and even though he attended Sam Houston State, you can feel a little bit of his animosity for the Texas A&M style characters in O'Bannion. One of my favorite films of all time and a definite on the list of the best from Texas.

2. Texas-Texas Tech: No Country For Old Men



Finally, a western from the state of Texas (kind of). The recent Oscar winner for best film by the Coen Brothers takes place in the wilds of west Texas. In between the Rio Grande, the plains, and the small towns resides the unexpected. If you have ever been to the liquor stores just past the county line outside of Lubbock (dry county) you will know what I mean.

1. Texas-Texas: Rushmore



While Bottle Rocket may be a better vehicle for explaining what modern Texas is all about, director Wes Anderson's (University of Texas graduate) masterpiece, and one of my favorite films of all time happens to contain one of the greatest characters of all time and perhaps the best performance by Bill Murray. In this one he is moodier than Lost In Translation, more devious that Stripes, and more lovable than the end of Ground Hog's Day. A winning combination of hilarity and poignancy that also perfectly matches content and form.

Baylor: No movie until you get to a bowl game!!!! Actually, there is one extremely underrated cinematic gem that does remind me of Baylor, The Apostle. Check it out, it is actually pretty powerful and one of the favorite films of Dr. Blum.

I really wanted to put a high school football film in this list to tie together the football themes and the state of Texas stuff. Alas, Friday Night Lights was average at best.

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Movies from Big 12 States- North Edition

With football season right around the corner I thought that it was only fitting to take a look at the films made and set in the Big 12 region. For the first edition we will get one film from each of the five states represented in the Big 12 North Division.

Nebraska: About Schmidt



Jack Nicholson has made several trips to the Cornhusker state, including a close finisher for the top spot on this list, Terms of Endearment. Schmidt gets the call on this one though because of the broad look that it gives the state. In the film, Schmidt takes off on a tour of Nebraska after he retires from his insurance job in Omaha and his wife passes away.

Iowa: Field of Dreams



Some might say that this spot belongs to The Bridges of Madison County, but there is no doubt in my mind that Field of Dreams does the best job of representing the people of Iowa and the possibility of imagination that this state offers on its best days.

Kansas: Capote



Philip Seymour Hoffman took home an Oscar for best actor based on his performance in this re-examination of the forces that motivated, influenced, and inspired Truman Capote to write his bestselling "True Crime" novel. Many of the scenes that depict Kansas were actually shot in Manitoba, Canada, but they still seem to get at the heart of what it feels like during winter here.

Colorado: Dumb and Dumber



No question here. This film portrays the best part of the state in all its glory, showing off the slopes, the plains, and the beautiful mountain resort towns. This one does have some competition though. Die Hard 2 was filmed in the old Denver Airport and City Slickers was filmed in Durango. At the end of the day you have to pick Dumb and Dumber because so many of the really funny and lasting humor from the film deals directly with the local setting.

Missouri: The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford



This one wasn't technically filmed in Missouri, but Alberta, Canada stands in nicely. It was set in Mizzou, around what would today be called the greater Kansas City area. Kansas City, St. Joseph, Kearney, and Platte City all feature prominently in this story of the old west as it began to grow up and reign in the lawlessness that threatened the development of the rule of law in our nation. I just think that this film is beautiful, and the story it tells is so interesting that I couldn't look away.

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Back to School Movies

Its about that time.

5. The Karate Kid-



Back to school has everything to do with new. Fitting into a new place with new people one step closer to the real world. Very few movies tap into that feeling like The Karate Kid. Bullies, parents that don't understand, its all there in this one. Unfortunately, this one has too many moments of extreme ridiculousness. My personal favorite comes after the principle character has had his bike stolen and believes that martial arts is his only method of recourse. In this moment of crisis the karate kid shrieks to his mother his deepest wish, "I need to know karate!!!!"

4. The School of Rock-



Maybe it's a stretch, but this one perfectly compliments Karate Kid. Besides the period of change, back to school also has a lot to with challenges and the possibility of becoming a new and exciting person. School of Rock incorporates this theme to its zenith from the perspective of the rock and roll kids in the class and also from Jack Black in his roll as the reformed teacher making good.

3. Lucas-



I will be the first to say that I don't really understand the direction that David Seltzer was going with this one. Lucas, a freshman without many social skills, is hardly lovable. He stalks that poor girl. You just can't forget about him though because he is such a loser. This film only does two things well. First, it does a great job of portraying multiple sides of the same character types. Jeremy Piven and Charlie Sheen are both football players, but they treat Lucas in entirely different ways. This film also provides one of the greatest examples of emotional manipulation. The viewer has just sat in horror while the 100 lb. title character without his helmet is mauled in a high school football game. Immediately after, a slow clap is raised for this same character by Charlie Sheen as Lucas pulls a letter jacket out of his locker. In this way it is a perfect high school movie, depicting the extremes of what a person is willing to give up in order to achieve status among peers.

2. Back To School-



First of all , the comedy is great, these jokes all have a lot of setup, and the payoff is usually worth it. Rodney Dangerfield leads the way in this one with his usual brand of "If your so smart how come you ain't rich?" type of humor, but it is usual college environment seen from the perspective of a guy who, unlike Socrates, is wise because he does know. Two scenes really make this one- the scene with the yelling history teacher, and the stuff with Kurt Vonnegut, "Hey Kurt, can you read lips?". Really an underrated film in the entire scope of 80's comedies and obviously the piece upon which Van Wilder was modeled.

1. Mean Girls-



This one covers all of the same issues as Karate Kid, but instead of karate, screams about needing makeup and boyfriends. All joking aside, Mean Girls engages all of the ingredients for back to school films that are mentioned in the other films on this list. Its funny and topical, while both the students and the teachers play interesting characters. The troubles of fitting in, and the possibilities/challenges are given relatively equal import. Maybe not a classic in the Criterion Collection mold, but nonetheless, it tells a humorous story that people will remember.

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Baseball Movies For Kids

Yes, the boys of summer will continue to grind out their regular season for another 2months, but baseball for kids is probably at the point where the championships are being played. Here's to all of them and the parents that make it happen.

5. Angels in the Outfield-



This film equates escape from a seriously painful issue with miracles. This one is good only if you feel that the pain of others is your single method of catharsis. I can't stand it, but it has been fairly popular and a lot of people seem to think it is good for kids.

4. Bad News Bears (The new version)-



This is Bad Santa with baseball. The first part of this is pretty funny if you are a 20 something and can imagine yourself in your current state being saddled with responsibility that you don't care about. Eventually though, the coach's principles do shine through and teach a good lesson.

3. Rookie of the Year-



You might not believe it, but in this one a young pitcher for the Cubs burns his arm out in the clutch. A prophecy directed toward the future of Kerry Wood. Tom Milanovich as the antagonist really makes this one shine. He's a total ringer for John Kruk.

2. Little Big League-



One of the few baseball movies that actually focuses on baseball strategy. I like that the kid has no amazing ability. He's just smart (and well connected). It's also nice to see a movie where the good guys don't magically win the pennant.

1. The Sandlot-



No surprise here. The characters are great, the scenes are funny and quite memorable. There really is no one comparable to Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez as a hero. He is the Odysseus in this mythical story. Its ones like this that make you wish that kids organized their own games instead of adults.

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Adam Sandler Films

In order to recognize Adam Sandler's participation in this week's Funny People (that I am really looking forward to), we are going to go ahead and name the Top 5 Adam Sandler films.

5. Punch Drunk Love-



Sandler's first attempt at serious acting on a wide scale. Sandler took his time and picked a good script with a great director (Paul Thomas Anderson) to launch his attempt to break the mold of comedies that he was in. It worked out in ways that few would have predicted as Sandler went on to gain a number of awards for his performance. This film is also a wonderful take on the characters that Sandler often plays,,, especially in the top two films on this list.

4. Airheads-



In this film, Sandler plays Pip the pool cleaner, who is also the drummer in The Lone Rangers. While not the best vehicle for Adam Sandler, this is still a great movie that takes advantage of the persona that would eventually comprise the Billy Madison character.

3. Spanglish-



Probably my favorite serious acting performance by Sandler. This film seems to be full of real people and it does a good job of trying to tell a multicultural story in the heart of the region that depends on it the most. One of the few Sandler films that actually deals with pain and you can't help but feel that his performance is the primary influence that really brings it home to the viewer.

2. Happy Gilmore-




What can you say about this one. It is very funny, the characters are memorable, and the action is frantic. There are too many memorable parts in this one to count. I can't believe that so many good actors were able to find ways to be funny in a relatively simple film.

1. Billy Madison-



To be completely honest, there are parts in the first half of this film that I find so annoying that I almost can't stand it. There are other parts that are simply comedic genius. The line after his teacher tells the story of the puppy and the exchange between Madison and the bus driver (Chris Farley) are some of the funniest things that I have ever seen. This film is completely lowbrow, but it is also the film that gained Sandler his first following and will probably stay relevant and funny for quite some time.

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Listless Tuesdays: 5 Most Quotable Films

Listless Tuesdays-Top 5 Most Quotable Films

One of the things that I noticed making this list, was that there were several films that came because of great quotations, although when I tried, I realized I couldn’t really remember that many of them because they were too long. Fight Club was specifically one of these films, full of great lines, but too long to remember. American Psycho definitely fits into this description as well.

5. Snatch-


When you have an amateur boxing promoter with an eye for the obvious, a gangster with a penchant for dictionary definitions, and a gypsy boxer with an almost unintelligible accent, you have Snatch. Guy Ritchie does his best to copy Quentin Tarantino and this is his best attempt. The storylines are intertwined, a la Pulp Fiction, and all of the characters have tons of attitude. Memorable and very funny.
“How long for those sausages, Turkish?”
“Two minutes”
“It was two minutes, five minutes ago!”

4. Pulp Fiction-


Every line that Jules has in this film is quotable. His conversations with Vincet are among the greatest of all time. I can never get over how incensed that Jules is when he asks for his wallet and Ringo doesn’t know which one to grab. “It’s the one that says Bad Motherfucker!”
Personally, the best quotations in this film are supplied by the Wolf.
“That’s about 30 minutes away. I’ll be there in 10”

3. Blue Velvet-


While this film doesn’t have the volume of quotables found in Snatch or Pulp Fiction, it more than makes up for it with forcefulness. Nearly all the quotable lines in the film are supplied by the legendary Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). This film is completely bizarre and the quotations are amazing.
“You know what a love letter from me is????? It’s a bullet from a fucking gun”
It also has the greatest quotation having to do with beer.
“Heineken!!!!!! Fuck that shit!!!!! Pabst Blue Ribbon!!!!!”

2. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy-


This film is amazing because it takes a world and parlance that is completely foreign to us and it never lets down. Burgundy’s cronies all have great lines but it is the legend himself that makes this great.
“My apartment is full of leather-bound books. It smells of rich mahogany.”

1. The Big Lebowski-


The dude, Walter, Donny, the Big Lebowski, Brent, Bunny, the Nihilists, Jackie Treehorn, Jesus, all of the cops, the limo driver, the taxi driver, the brother seamus, and even Maude. Every single person has a hilarious line in this film.
“Fucking Nazi’s”
“Were they Nazi’s?
“Come on, Donny, they were threatening castration. Are we going to split hairs here?”
“No, they were Nihilists, they said they believed in nothing.”
“Nihilists, well fuck me. Say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, at least its an ethos.”

I had to end it there, because the very next line, “And a, keeping a, amphibious rodent…. that aint legal either” just leads into another great quotation.

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Golf Movies

In a tribute to the British Open and summer, this week's list is going to be released a little bit later than a Tuesday. It was interesting in compiling this list to note how many were comedies.

5. Caddyshack II-


What can I say? There aren't that many golf movies.

4. The Legend of Bagger Vance-


Directed by Robert Redford it is a unique film that perfectly demonstrates "The Thing and the Other Thing" school of storytelling. It was based on a book by Steven Pressfield, best known for his atrocious novel Gates of Fire. One of the really great things about this film is actually the soundtrack which is filled with some really great entries from early 1930's jazz.

3. Caddyshack-


This one really doesn't need an explanation. Harold Ramis hits this one out of the park in one of the funniest and dirtiest movies of the period. The Baby Ruth in the pool, the playing through scene, and Bill Murray's attempts to catch the moles are all hilarious.

2. Happy Gilmore-


A lot of people will look at the rise in popularity that golf achieved at the end of the 90's and give all of the credit to Tiger Woods. While this is surely true, I think that both golf and Tiger benefited from the popularity of this Adam Sandler vehicle. This film also started the trend of sports comedies that feature a prominent actor in an individual sport (as opposed to a team), which has been taken to the limit by Will Ferrell. Adam Sandler went on a nice little run of funny movies that were named after the lead character.

1. Tin Cup-


One of the finest Kevin Costner films. You have to love the "going for it" mentality. I don't know why, but to me,the combination of the comeback story and the fact that Costner really nails his roles in sports movies makes this highly inspirational fare.

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Sci Fi Works That Should Be Movies -- Lucas

5. World War Z

I've always been fascinated with the idea of a zombie apocalypse. Modern life, turned completely on its head. I've talked with friends about what we'd do if it ever happened, but Max Brooks actually thought it out enough to make a book about it. The result is a book that is entertaining... but also touching in parts, thought provoking in others, and in the end gives hope that humanity can survive whatever is thrown at it... by nature, or by ourselves. If and when this is turned into a movie, they should keep the "oral history" style of it, and film it like a documentary, with after-the-fact confessionals. The book works because it never takes itself seriously and never slips a wink to the reader... the movie needs to do the same to work.

4. Starcraft

There's nothing horribly original in the Starcraft universe... There's an technologically advanced alien race, there's an insect-like hive mind race, humans are tapping into their psychic potential, and everyone is at war with everyone else. But the franchise takes all of these tropes, and meshes them into one coherent world. There are individual heroes, and there are grand, galaxy-sweeping conflicts. As a video game, Starcraft II has the potential to tell a story interactively in a way that a movie couldn't, but a Starcraft movie could also tell a story in a way that a game can't... As good as Blizzard's cut-scenes are, they can't compare to a real movie studio's CGI and models. Put a restraining order on Uwe Boll, and turn the Starcraft into a movie.


3. Ender's Game

The real difficulty with Ender's Game is that it requires children to act. Orson Scott Card claims in his introduction to this classic sci-fi novel that he feels like the same person he did when he was a six-year-old, but I have a feeling that he may be the exception rather than the rule... Few children really have the maturity that Ender and his compatriats possess. But that aside, the main conceit of the book, the battle room, is perfectly suited for film, especially today's CGI-rich film-making. If there's any time to do zero-gravity battle scenes, it's now.


2. Neuromancer

William Gibson didn't invent cyberpunk with Neuromancer, but he gave the genre some of its most enduring imagery. The huge, dirty, sprawling metropolises, the Matrix, which directly inspired the film of the same name, and an artificial intelligence trying to break the bonds imposed by its creators. A dystopian future, anti-heros, shadowy, behind-the-scenes corporations controlling everything... it's the perfect film-noir for the digital age.


1. Half-Life

Another video game franchise. And is it any wonder? What better exemplifies science fiction cum reality than video games? The first-person shooters we play today would have seemed like something from a writer's imagination even twenty years ago. Half-Life is another near-future dystopia. Only here, inter-dimensional beings (broght here by scientists meddling with forces they did not understand) have taken over Earth. A nerdy every-man hero leads a rag-tag team of resistance fighters against the aliens, and their human allies. It makes for a great game, and it would make for an amazing movie. If there is any doubt, take a look at this low budget fan video:

Spend some money on that, get a decent script, and you have a great film on your hands.

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 School's Out Movies -- Lucas

Getting out of school is one of those few experiences shared across nearly all social divisions of American culture. Everyone knows that feeling of elation that comes with not being held down, with having the world open to you. Here are five movies I think best capture that spirit.


5. Adventureland

Yes, yes, it's still in theaters, but it is a perfect school's out movie... The characters are finally on their own in the world, and they realize that in some ways it sucks, but in a lot of ways they have freedom they lacked in school. Greater responsibility, but greater power, if you will.


4. Superbad

Superbad has a tried-and-true theme: nerds try to get laid before college. The standard trajectory is here: the boys have some comic mishaps, they find the right girls, they realize it's not all about the sex, then they get the girls. I could have put American Pie at the beginning of the paragraph and no one would have noticed. But Superbad does it funnier, dirtier, and sweeter.


3. Almost Famous

This one might be a stretch to call it a school's out movie, but William's journey with Stillwater is the ultimate tale of getting out of school and into the real world. He misses his own highschool graduation to be on tour with a rock band, writing an article for Rolling Stone. Along the way, he learns that the world isn't quite the place he thought it was, but the friendships he develops win out, and he gets his article.


2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Like Jay says, it's not exactly a "school's out for summer" movie like the rest, but it might as well be. The repeated scenes of Ben Stein's monotonous econ class make the fun capers Ferris pulls off seem even more exuberant, and the lesson of the movie, enjoy life and youth while you still have it, is the perfect lesson for a getting out of school movie.


1. American Graffiti

George Lucas used to be an indie director. For people like me, who grew up with Star Wars a movie my parents went to see when they were in highschool, that's hard to wrap my head around. Even more amazing to people of my generation... he used to be a good director. The plot has all the classic elements of a end-of-highschool movie, but they are all done well, and the actors, nearly all of whom went on to become famous, nail their parts. Harrison Ford, especially. A classic movie about how to deal with life out of school.

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Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 School's Out Movies: Urban

It’s about that time. May is here and another year of school is about to be in the books. With that in mind, here are my Top 5 School’s Out movies.

5. Say Anything

This one begins with the music. It ends with one of the most poignant and often copied scenes in film history (most directly in Night at the Roxbury). One of those films that defined relationships and what was cool in the greatest decade for teen films, the 80’s.

4. Can’t Hardly Wait

Jennifer Love Hewitt headlines this film that carries a barely there storyline with an ensemble cast. The point isn’t whether or not the guy and the girl end up together. The point, is the end of the year party. Here, unlike during school, all elements of high school society are combined and allowed to enact their love, hate, revenge, scoring fantasies. This one also contains a great soundtrack headlined by GNR’s “Paradise City”.

3. Superbad

Easily, the film with the best one liners in this list. This film is laugh out loud funny the entire way through, but also tells a great story about the meaning of moving on.

2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

While technically, this isn’t a last day of school film, it might as well be. The themes, setting, and feeling are all the same. This film portrays the cleverness of the Western World in all of its glory. Ferris, triumphs against every adult in the film, not because of his strength or will, but because of his quick thinking and the willingness of others to go the extra mile to help him, based on the confidence that he has earned from his peers.

1. Dazed and Confused

Linklater’s classic is certainly rooted in a time and place, but it hasn’t stopped this film from receiving more attention as time passes. The characters are impossibly cool. The cars are even cooler. I don’t have room here to go on about the music. Suffice it to say that the feeling of school being over pervades every frame. That presence makes this film not only the best on this list, but among the greats in my book.

One thing that I noticed from making this list, is that in many of these films the last day of school is important not because of the future that is unlocked, but rather because of the impending “no later than” date that they provide. They also happen to have great soundtracks.

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